As Mexican fires continue to burn, haze probably will linger through the weekend

Conditions are clearer this morning, but that doesn’t mean the haze from Mexican agricultural fires won’t return later today.

As conditions are expected to remain hot and dry over the Yucatan Peninsula for the next several days, farmers are likely to continue to burn their fields.

And low-level winds in the atmosphere (shown in the yellow barbs below) that are funneling the smoke across the western Gulf of Mexico and into our region aren’t expected to change much, say forecasters with the Houston/Galveston office of the National Weather Service.

Winds are bringing smoke from the Yucatan peninsula into Houston. (NWS)

All of this means that as Houston has its warmest weekend of the year so far, hazy conditions are likely to return from time to during during the next several days.

Partly because of the haze associated with the fires, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rates the air quality over the Houston metro area as “moderate.”

Although these conditions could affect people very sensitive to air quality, most people shouldn’t experience anything beyond the nuisance of the haze.